


Red

by lliamonade



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, BUT IT ISN'T REALLY BECAUSE THEY COME BACK ALIVE, Hunting, I tried my best, Kidnapping, M/M, Mating, Werewolves, and I am so aware of it and also so sorry for it, because i don't want to unintentionally trigger anyone, but it's literally like BOOM and then its romance, but yeah I'm aware of it and know fully that it just jumps really quickly, head injuries??, if anyone reads this and sees anything else they believe should be tagged please tell me, it is kidnapping, it says major character death, kinda i guess, kindaaaa, mate, most of them are only mentioned though, ok I know everyone says they suck at tagging but I really suck at tagging, ok i'm sorry this sucks, so I'm sorry, so it's not healthy or realistic, the first chapter is short but it does get longer from there, the payne family is here, there is like a SEVERE lack of emotional romantic development in this story, um, well no i don't guess, ye
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-05-11 10:36:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5624059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lliamonade/pseuds/lliamonade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <strong> 'Didn't your mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers?' </strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>'What? But- I- you're the one who brought me here!'</p><p>'Maybe so, but that doesn't mean that you have to talk to me, does it?'</p><p>'You would probably kill me if I didn't answer your questions.'</p><p>'Oh no. I wouldn't harm a single hair on your beautiful little head.' He said, grinning as he heard a howl come from outside.</p><p>'But there is no saying what <em> they </em> might try to do.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hey there little red riding hood

When Liam smiled, the corner of his mouth lifted up at the edges and his eyes crinkled shut. His laughter lines deepened and he resembled a ball of sunshine.

His nickname was Red, after the red hood that he was given from his grandmother. He was always wearing this hood, usually on top of his plaid top that showed his relation to his woodcutter father. It was generally expected that he would become a woodcutter one day, and his sister’s seamstresses like their mother. 

Most days he helped his father, or talked to Niall, the mayors recently adopted son. Every Sunday, however, he took the 1 hour trek to his grandmother’s house with a basket of bread and a handful of flowers. 

This Sunday was no different, at first. He held his wicker basket close to his body, covering the bread with a red square of fabric. There was a flutter of a red hooded cape as Liam walked down the footpath, conscious of the crow that had been sitting on their fence all morning. Now, Liam generally wasn't superstitious, and usually refused to believe in the whole 'one for sorrow, two for joy' type of babble, but recently there had been a whole range of wolf attacks in the surrounding villages, and every Ill-fortuned farmer had insisted that they had seen a crow the day of the attacks. 

Also, wasn't it always better to be safe than sorry? 

Liam went past Niall’s house, preparing to say hello to his friend, but he wasn’t there. Liam was quick to brush it off; occasionally Niall had to help his adoptive father inside the house. Liam continued into the woods. He loved walking through the woods in the daytime, watching the light filtering through the tree branches and smelling the spring sunshine and clean earth. In the folds of the forest there was a small green meadow, and a lovely shining lake. He technically was never supposed to leave to path because of wild animals and other dangers, but no one was ever walking with him, so no one was there to watch him when he stumbled off the path to gather up flowers in the meadow. After he gathered up a group of flowers, he would continue on to his grandmother’s house, where he would drop off the bread and flowers. 

Today, on his way back from his grandmother’s house after a lovely cup of tea, he noticed something odd. In the meadow with the flowers there was a large dent where all the flowers had been flattened. Liam cautiously wandered over to the garden, and nearly fell over when he stumbled backwards. 

There was a body of a man lying face down in the flowers. 

Liam fell to his knees and shook the man by his shoulder, hoping that he wasn’t badly hurt. The man was shirtless and had tattoos down his arm. Liam gently turned the man over onto the back and started shaking him again. 

“Hey,” Liam whispered. “Hey, can you hear me? Can you squeeze my hand?”

The man quietly groaned a response, his eyelids flickering. Slowly, the man squeezed Liam’s hand and blinked his eyes open. His eyes were as green as the forest around him, and his curly brown hair matched the earth as it fell onto his face. The man quickly tried to sit up, inhaling quickly.

“Hey, hey, hey.” Liam gently pushed the man back down into the grass. “Don’t sit up too quickly, you’ll get dizzy.”

The man groaned and gripped his head. Liam gently brushed the hair out of the man’s eyes and asked him his name.

“Harry,” the man replied, sitting up again, slower this time.

“Are you okay? Liam questioned.

“Yeah. Just a rough night, you know?” Harry grinned, a smile that suggested he knew something that Liam didn’t. “So, what’s your name?”

“Um.” Liam was pretty cautious around strangers. “It’s Liam.”  
Harry’s eyebrows rose at this. “Liam, eh? Well, Liam, I want you to do something for me.”

Harry struggled to his feet. “Tell your dear old father that the wolves are back in town.” 

At that, Harry ran off into the woods, leaving Liam shocked, still sitting down in the meadow.


	2. You sure are looking good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update! I'll do an update spam now to make up for it i'm so sorry.

Liam hadn’t been allowed to leave his room for nearly a week. He wasn’t particularly sure why, he just knows that his father had never turned so white in his life. Liam remembers the day that he told his father what Harry had told him. His father had almost blended into the white walls of the kitchen, before he rushed around the house and locked all the doors and windows. He had locked Liam in his bedroom without so much of an explanation, and carefully ushered the rest of his family into the house. He only had seen his mother this week, for about five seconds when she opened the door to give him his meals. In a normal situation, Liam would have used these days off to catch up on the precious sleep he had lost, but this time he had been too stressed to sleep. He couldn’t understand the big fuss with anything; everyone in the village had dealt with wolves before! Liam was also concerned with the health of his grandmother; if he had been locked up in his room for this long she had properly run out of food, and if it wasn’t safe for Liam then it wouldn’t be safe for any of his sisters, right?

Liam was also worried about the fact that he had overheard his father organising a hunt in the forest. The last time there had been a hunt was when Liam was four years old and there was a chain of fierce wolf attacks happening in the surrounding villages. His father had gotten the mayor, Sophia’s father (the baker), Eleanor’s father (the florist), Nick’s father (the butcher) and a large bunch of other men to join up together and disappear into the woods at night, brandishing large knives and axes. Each night Liam would watch them disappear, and then reappear looking severely disappointed.

One night, Liam had pressed his ear flat against the wall, trying to listen in to a conversation his father was having with his mother. What he heard didn’t clear anything up for Liam, it just made him more confused. “We can’t let them get him, Karen!” He had heard. “We’ve kept him away from them his whole life, we can’t let him be found now!” His mother had muttered quietly, something undistinguishable, and Liam had collapsed into his bed, more confused than before.

Now it was morning again, and his mother was slowly opening the door to slip in Liam’s porridge. Before the door could quietly shut again, Liam quietly called out to his mother. Karen froze, before slowly glancing back into the room. His mother looked pale, purple bags under her eyes, worse than Liam had ever seen her before.

“Mum,” Liam whispered. “Mum, what’s going on.”

Liam’s mum looked upset and shaky, hesitating to even look in Liam’s eyes. She shook her head slowly, refusing to answer. “I can’t say, Liam. That’s up to your father to explain.”

Liam sighed softly. “Mum, I need to know what’s happening! The sooner I know the sooner I can defend myself, and the sooner I can go visit grandma so that she can have enough food again.”

At this statement, Karen swallowed and then slowly looked up at Liam. “You don’t need to go to your grandmothers. Your sister’s have been going instead of you.”

Liam nearly died. “My sisters? Were they going armed? How many people went with them? Why did you let them go but not me? Are any of them hurt?”

“Liam!” Karen’s voice rose a fraction. “No one’s been hurt! We’ve been sending your sisters because they haven’t been looked upon! They won’t be hurt!”

Liam halted. “What do you mean, they haven’t been looked upon.”

His mother froze. “I’ve said too much. Eat your breakfast.”

“Mum!” Liam needed more answers, but before he could ask anything else his mother had slipped back out through the door.


	3. You're everything a big bad wolf could want.

Outside the house, the wind howled through the trees, while inside, Liam’s fire was nearly out. He was sitting near the window, as once again, the hunting party returned from the forest. He could hear something out there, howling along with the wind, but the hunters seemed to be deaf to the noise, not reacting at all. Liam watched his dad walk with the Mayor, back towards his house. They seemed to be in deep conversation.

The two men paused at the gate of the Mayors house, still talking. Liam’s dad was gesticulating wildly, pointing at the bedroom window, and back at the woods. The Mayor appeared to be disagreeing with what Liam’s dad was saying, shaking his head and slowly walking up the driveway into his house. Eventually, Liam’s dad sighed and continued to walk home. 

Liam left the window. He quickly stripped his clothes off and replaced them with his pyjamas, before grabbing a book and climbing quickly back into bed. He was just beginning to savour the warmth and drift off into a highly welcomed sleep when he heard footsteps creeping up the stairs. Liam stiffened, trying to identify who was walking towards his room. Maybe it was his dad, finally deciding to explain what had been happening these past three weeks. A floorboard creaked outside his door, before someone knocked on it heavily. 

“Come in”, Liam called. 

The doorknob twisted and his father walked into the bedroom.

“You can work again tomorrow, like normal,” his dad said gruffly, before hurriedly leaving the room again. Liam sighed again, before shutting his book and placing it on his bedside table. He snuggled down into the blankets and went to sleep, questions still unanswered.

~*&*~

Liam had never been so happy to work in his entire life. He revelled in the burning strain of his muscles as he lifted the axe above his head, swinging it down and breaking the log into smaller pieces of wood. Behind him, Niall was sitting on a tree stump, chatting excitedly about something. Liam stood up straight and wiped the sweat that had been gathering on his forehead, before leaning on the axe and turning to face Niall and listen to his conversation. His red plaid shirt was soaked with sweat, and his arms were trembling with the tautness in his muscles. Niall’s story finally came to an end, and he turned his blue eyes to face Liam’s, before asking, “How has life been for you these past weeks”. 

Liam groaned, exasperated, before replying. “It’s been weird. Like really, really weird.”

Niall tilted his head to the side, looking concerned. “Yeah, mate? What’s been happening?”

Liam dug the axe into the dirt and wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans, leaving brown streaks of dirt. He dragged a shaking hand through his hair and then folded his arms before telling Niall about the strange man in the woods. Strangely, Niall didn’t seem that surprised that a curly haired, half naked boy had been roaming the woods, and instead appeared excited. He was also strangely interested in the hunting parties that Liam’s dad had been setting out, and was wondering whether they had been stopped.

Liam was sure that they had, and he told Niall so.

A look of relieve crossed Niall’s face, and he quietly mumbled, “Oh, good!”

Liam was slightly shocked, to be honest.

“Niall, how is that a good thing!? There are wolves in the forest and they haven’t been found yet! We could be in danger!”

A look of exasperation filled Niall’s face before he quickly jumped to defend the wolves. “Well we haven’t been hurt yet! And what would you know about the wolves! You never know, maybe they don’t want to hurt anyone! Maybe they are just lonely and are looking for someone to love! You don’t know their story!”

Liam didn’t really know what to say to that. He also wasn’t entirely sure when his best friend had become an avid wolf enthusiast. However, before he was able to ask any more questions, Niall stood up and grabbed his wrist. “Come on, you need to stop thinking so hard. Let’s go visit your grandmother.”

With that, Niall attempted to drag Liam across the field, back to his house. 

~*&*~

It took a while, but eventually Liam’s dad relented and allowed Liam to make the trek to his Grandmother’s house. There were a few conditions he had to abide to, however; He had to take Niall with him, bring a knife to defend himself, and be back home before sunset. Due to the final rule, Liam knew that this would be an incredibly short visit, but he was thankful for it all the same. 

Before he left, he changed his shirt, unwilling to be trekking through the woods wearing a shirt that was already sweaty. He also grabbed his red hood, and tied it around his neck. He stumbled out the door, and grinned at Niall, who was already leaning against the white fence, wearing a pair of denim jeans and a green hoodie. Niall pushed himself up into an upright position, and wiggled his eyebrows at Liam. 

“Ready to go then, aye? You took your sweet time!”

Liam laughed quietly before dragging Niall onto the footpath. 

“Well come on then, we don’t have all day!”

Off the two friends went, into the woods. 

Other than the cool breeze that frequently filtered through the trees and the underlying fear that there was still something out there, it was quite a nice walk. Liam had never really thought to bring someone on this walk with him, but he enjoyed it, and figured he would try and do it more often, if it was possible. And, of course, if Niall was okay with that.

Eventually, they reached the secluded pond. It was at this point that Liam started to feel a little queasy. Just as they were about to cross the bridge over the lake, Niall froze. 

“Liam, Liam. Did you hear that!?” Niall exclaimed.

Liam strained his ears for a second, trying to hear any strange sounds. He quickly shook his head, no, at Niall.

“Niall I can’t-”

“SHH!”

Niall put a finger near Liam’s face, getting him to shut up. He stepped quietly forward, to the edge of the track, and peered into the bushes that surrounded the pond.

“Liam, Liam, hand me your knife. Quickly! Quickly!”

“Niall, what’s going-”

“Liam, shut up and hand me the godforsaken knife!”

Liam gulped in fear and unstrapped the knife from his belt. Shakily, he handed it to Niall, who took it into hand with a firm grip. He stepped closer to the lake, and ferociously drew the knife back. Liam was shaking, certain that he was just about to witness one of his closest friends stab an animal. Instead, Niall let go of the knife, and it catapulted into the lake, quickly sinking to the dark depths below. Liam stood there in shock. Niall had just thrown their only form of defence into the water, where it was now irretrievable. 

Liam stared at Niall, mouth open in shock. “Niall!”

Niall just shrugged. “What?”

“You just-” Liam’s heart was racing, and he brought his red cloak back over his shoulders. “That was the only way we could protect ourselves!”

“Against what, Liam? Against squirrels? Against frogs? What could hurt us?”

“WOLVES, NIALL! WOLVES!”

“Oh stop overreacting, Liam”, Niall said. “If wolves were going to attack us we would be dead by now.”

With that, Niall continued across the bridge. 

~*&*~

After some time, the duo reached Liam’s grandmothers house. As soon as Liam stepped onto the threshold, Liam could tell that something was seriously wrong. Everything had seemed slightly eerie since Niall had chucked the knife into the pond, something Liam was still yet to forgive Niall for. 

When Liam looked at the house, it still seemed to be like normal. The yellow thatched roof was still supported, and the white mud walls were still standing. A warm yellow light glowed from inside, near a window, and the pebble footpath was still in order. Even the tomato plants were still standing tall. Still, Liam couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go awfully wrong.

Niall appeared oblivious to Liam’s internal suffering. “Well, Liam. Are you going to go inside?” He smiled cheerily. 

Liam attempted a half-hearted smile back, and stepped forward, listening to the leaves crunching under his feet. He knocked hesitantly at the wooden door, and slowly pried it open when there was no response. 

“Granny?” Liam called into the house. He stepped further down the hallway, kicking off his shoes.

“Granny? It’s Liam. I’ve brought you some bread!” Still, no one replied. Liam turned around to face Niall, feeling worried. 

“Niall, I think something’s gone wrong. She’s always here to greet me at the door!”

Niall was unaffected, but soon a steely look of determination crossed his face. He looked into Liam’s eyes.

“Don’t worry too much Liam, she’s probably asleep still. Now, how about I check out the left side of the house, and you check out the right.”

Liam nodded shakily, feeling nervous. He was really starting to wish he still had his knife. Niall quickly kicked his shoes off, and then ran down the hallway. Liam followed suite, but turned right into the living area when Niall turned towards the bedrooms. Liam gently placed the basket with bread onto the ground, and wrapped his hood tighter around himself. No one was in the living room, but the fire was still roaring in the fireplace. Liam swallowed quickly, and then continued walking to the kitchen, calling out for his grandmother as he went.

As he reached the humble looking kitchen, he stopped in shock. A dark haired man was sitting at the dining room table, reading a book. The man looked up slowly, and grinned toothily, like a wolf. He slowly closed the book and slide it to the side, an aura of darkness and mysteriousness following him. The man blinked up again, to look at Liam, still frozen in the doorway. The man smiled again, a beautiful, haunting, evil smile, that sent shivers up Liam’s spine.

“Who- who are you?” Liam finally managed to say.

The strange man slowly stood up, his black clothes holding onto him tightly. He was still smiling darkly. His arms reached towards Liam.

“Liam, darling,” he said in a lingering voice. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” 

Before Liam could try and work out what this hauntingly beautiful man meant, he felt a presence behind him. As Liam turned to try and defend himself against whatever potential danger was behind him, he was hit sharply in the head. He stumbled backwards, into the arms of the beautiful stranger, and fell, disappearing quickly into unconsciousness. Before he went out, he saw a pair of dravite brown eyes. Then black was all he knew. 


	4. I don't think little big girls should

Liam was in a dark place, a place filled with a strange, unearthly vibe. He was walking through a world of dense dark nothingness. No sound. Dead space. He couldn't even hear the sound of his own breath. In fact, Liam wasn't even 100% sure he was breathing. That's usually one of the first things to check on the 'am I alive' checklist.

The darkness started to clear, and Liam found himself in a four-poster bed beneath three layers of quilts that smelt faintly of pine and lavender. The dark smokiness was replaced by a dull white light being emitted from the lamp on the bed side table. Lifting his head, Liam noticed a chair next to his bed, and the wooden doors of the bedroom cupboard. It took a few minutes for Liam to absorb his surroundings, the fact that he was numb from the waist down, and the ultra-confusing facts that he is not in a room that he recognises.

Liam reached down to try and feel his calf and toes, and for a second he was concerned that maybe he didn't even have a calf or toes, but then he couldn't reach that far and he can't sit up and had to come to terms with the fact that his arms are the only truly working parts of his body. He uses these to throw the quilts off his body and notices that he is wearing his red hood, something he never wears when asleep. Okay. That's ultra-confusing fact number two.

Liam turned his head to the right, and spied a cupboard, table and lamp. To the right, a window, a chair, and another table. Then he spots a teddy, sitting on the pillow beside him, staring blankly at the ceiling.

'Where the hell are we, teddy?'

Floorboards creaked loudly outside the door, the heavy ku lump, ku lump of a bare of heavy boots on bare wood. Then silence. A very heavy silence, if you pretended that you couldn't hear Liam's heartbeat thumping against his rib cage.

"Louis," says a deep and dangerous voice. "Why is he not awake yet?"

A nervous laugh, and then, "Well, you see Zayn. Since he turned at the last second, I may not have hit him in the right spot, which means I, uh, can no longer really guarantee how long he is going to be unconscious for."

The owner of the first voice breathed in deeply, and then spoke again. "Louis, how did he notice you creeping behind him."

"I'm afraid I can't actually answer that. I have no idea how he knew I was there, but if he hadn't turned I am 100% sure that he would be awake by now."

There was a deep huff of breath, and then another creaking floorboard as someone shifted their weight.

"Forget it Louis, go out on patrol with Niall and Harry. I'm going to check on Liam."

Thunk-thunk-thunk. The footsteps moved closer. Liam started to freak. Where was his knife? Someone is outside the door, and he can't move, and his only defence is that stupid teddy bear next to him. What am I going to do with that, Liam thought. Snuggle the person to death?

When you're all out of options, Liam realised, the best thing to do is nothing. Play dead. The possum option.

Liam watched the door open slowly through slits for eyes. He saw a red plaid shirt, a wide belt, black jeans. A pair of lithe, strong hands and very nicely trimmed fingernails. Liam kept his breath nice and even while the mystery man stood beside him. Then he turns and there's his butt and then he turns again and the mystery man's face lowers into view as he sits in the chair by the bed.

Breathe, Liam, breathe. He has a nice face, not the face of someone who would want to hurt you. If he wanted to hurt you, he would have by now, and the sheets feel nice and clean, and your head is the only thing that hurts, and hoLY SHIT SOMEONE HIT YOU IN THE HEAD!

Liam tried to keep his breath steady, but he wasn't doing a very good job at it. Then the owner of the good face said, "I know you're awake."

When he doesn't say anything, he goes, "And I know you're watching me, Liam."

Liam gives up. "How do you know my name, he croaked. Liam slowly opens his eyes. He wasn't wrong about the face, he was pretty good looking, He guessed around early twenties, nice collarbones, strong arms, and those hands with the perfect cuticles. The man was undoubtedly very attractive.

"All of us know your name here." He said. He stayed in the chair and lent forward with his elbows resting on his knees in a move which struck Liam as surprisingly assertive.

"My name's Zayn." He said next. "Zayn Malik."

Liam remained silent, and then asked a question. "Where the hell am I, Zayn Malik?"

"You're at our house." His eyes are a dark golden brown, like his hair, and appear powerful and slightly animalistic.

"Why the hell am I here? And what do you mean 'our' house. Who else is here?"

Zayn laughed. "Why so many questions? You have no need to know anything, except that you are here so I can keep you safe."

"Keep me safe? Safe from what? I want to go home. When can I leave. Let me go now!"

"Now now, Liam. Don't become disrespectful." Zayn growled.

Liam was becoming antsy.

"How about I ask you some questions, then." Zayn said.

Liam slowly rubbed his hands together.

"How is your dear old dad? Is he feeling a bit nervous about the recent wolf attacks?" Zayn smiled wolfishly.

"My dad's fine. I don't want to speak with you."

Zayn laughed again. "That's right. Didn't your mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers?"

"What? But- I- you're the one who brought me here!"

Zayn sank backwards into his chair again, as a loud wolves cry emerged from the darkness outside the window.

"Maybe so, but that doesn't mean that you have to talk to me, does it?"

"You would probably kill me if I didn't answer your questions." Liam hissed back at Zayn.

"Oh no. I wouldn't harm a single hair on your beautiful little head." He said, grinning as he heard another howl come from outside.

"But there is no saying what _**they**_ might try to do."


	5. Go walking in these spooky old woods alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update!!

Liam was left alone after the interaction with Zayn. He still couldn't move, and eventually figured that it was just due to the blow he had received to the back of his head. He had gone through plenty of scenarios in his head as to how he could escape this place and get back to his family, but so far all of the situations had left him dead or attacked by the wolves still roaming outside. Eventually he had fallen into a restless sleep, lulled unconscious by the lavender scented sheets. 

He woke up to someone knocking gently on the door. He pushed himself into a seated position again and watched as a familiar blonde walked through the door, holding a tray with an assortment of food. 

"Niall." Liam hissed. He still hadn't forgotten that Niall had betrayed him by teaming up with these kidnappers. 

"Hey", Niall said, attempting to be cheerful. He walked slowly towards Liam's bed, the same way you'd try to walk towards a scared injured animal. "Harry's made you breakfast!"

Liam ignored the plated pancakes and looked at Niall's face.

"Niall, how much do you know." He asked. He was angry and upset, one of his closest friends was continuing to pretend that everything was okay, even though things were clearly not.

Niall avoided Liam's gaze and the question. "It's pancakes with banana! I know you love pancakes and banana!"

"Niall." Liam was sterner this time. "How much do you know?"

Niall hesitantly looked up, and for the first time in forever, he looked ashamed. 

"Liam, I honestly can't say. Trust me, if I could do this whole thing again I would have done it differently, but for now I just can't. I'm sorry. Hopefully you'll understand soon."

With that, Niall left the food tray on the end of Liam's bed and left the room. 

Liam sighed. He had gotten nothing out of that entire experience except disappointment. Liam stared dejectedly at the cooling pile of pancakes and let his thoughts drift to his family back home. His sisters were probably the most concerned at his disappearance, but wouldn't be allowed to anything to help him. His mum would probably try to distract herself while the men of the village dealt with the issue. His dad would throw himself into his work to try and forget whilst it was daytime, and go out hunting while it was night time. Liam exhaled. The thought of his dad made him sad. He had always looked up to his dad, but the last few days had made him confused. The list of people he felt he could trust was growing shorter and shorter every day.

His dad had been keeping secrets from him.

His mum had known what was going on.

His sisters hadn't seen him in ages.

Niall, the one person he thought he could feel safe around in a situation like this, had supported the others the entire time, and had even gone out to 'patrol', whatever that meant.

The other people in this house were probably also untrustworthy.

Zayn couldn't be trusted, for obvious reasons. He was a creep. An attractive creep, but a creep nonetheless.

One of the brown haired boys, (Lewis?) had willingly hit him over the head in an attempt to knock him unconscious.

The last boy (or Liam hoped was the last), hadn't done anything that had directly harmed Liam yet. The only thing that the boy had done was make him breakfast.

Knowing my luck, thought Liam as he doubtfully looked at the pancakes, he probably laced it with poison.

Liam fumbled around in the bed for a little longer, feeling slightly stifled under all the layers. He refused to eat his breakfast, deciding it was probably safer not to eat anything he was given. Liam wasn't foolish enough to try and escape yet, he knew that it was best for him to try and wait a few days so that his kidnappers would let their guard down. Liam sat there for a few more hours, feeling uncertain. His feet were going numb from pins and needles by the time a third person entered his room. The tattoo's that stood out stark against the man's arms and boosted something in Liam's memories. Then it hit him; they looked like the tattoos on the arm of the man he found lying in the woods. Liam let his eyes slowly creep upwards towards a shock of curly hair. The man turned around after shutting the door and grinned at Liam's shocked face.

"Hey", he said in a deep, familiar voice. "D'ya remember me?"

Before Liam could respond the man had crossed the room and was standing at the foot of the bed, frowning at the pancakes.

"Oh. You didn't eat your breakfast. Zayn won't be happy about that. Didn't you like them? Niall told me you liked pancakes! Do you want me to make you something else?"

Liam was in shock. The only thing he could think to say was "uh." How eloquent.

He continued to watch the curly haired man walk around the room, eventually sitting in the seat next to the bed, grinning at Liam again.

"Well, I feel like most of us here have gotten off to a bad start. How about we start again. Hi, my name's Harry." The man stuck out his hand, waiting for Liam to shake it.

Liam hesitantly grasped Harry's hand and shook. "Hi. Um. My name's Liam."

Harry grinned even more, if that was possible, and a stray curl fell in front of his eyes. He whispered something to himself, something that vaguely sounded like "he's so cute."

"Well, since it appears that you didn't like this breakfast very much, how about you come downstairs and eat some lunch. I've just about done cooking anyhow."

Without waiting for an answer, Harry stood up again and grabbed the tray with Liam's cold breakfast and proceeded to walk out the door. Before the door could shut again, a brown boot swung in and kept it open, allowing enough room for Harry's head to peak back through the doorway.

"Are you coming?" asked Harry, lifting up an eyebrow.

Liam shook the blankets off him, feeling a little red in the face. His toes curled off the cold ground when he put his feet down for the first time in what was probably days. He stood up, grateful that his feet could still support his weight, and straightened out his red hood. He walked out the door and spotted Harry just as he turned a corner in the hallway and disappeared. Liam hurried after him, not wanting to get lost. Harry appeared pretty harmless, even if he apparently had a habit of falling asleep half naked in the woods.

Harry and Liam walked down the stair case together in single file. Since Liam was behind Harry, he was able to walk as slowly as he wanted, so he took the chance to look at all the photos that were hanging on the wall. One of them was a picture of Zayn and what looked like three little female Zayn's, all grinning brightly up at the camera. Liam was so busy looking at the picture of Zayn and his sisters that he didn't even notice Harry turning around and smiling softly at Liam. There were other photo's too, one of a young Harry being kissed on the cheek by a short brunette, another of a blonde who looked suspiciously like Niall dive-bombing into a lake, and a third, Harry standing in a kitchen with a hand print of flour planted on his bum, Niall standing behind him, next to the blue eyed brunette who was smiling gleefully with a hand covered in flour. When Liam wasn't looking at the photos, he was looking out the windows that they past. Unfortunately, every window he looked out of only showed him an image of a dark unforgiving forest. A forest that was probably filled with wolves.

Eventually, they reached the living area. Liam was cautious walking through the room filled with strangers. He saw Niall, sitting crossed legged on the lounge, still guiltily avoiding Liam's eyes. Next was Zayn, who, Liam saw with a surprising pang of unwanted disappointment, was also ignoring him. Finally was the brunette from the photos, the one whose name he was still unaware of.

"Liam!" The blue eyed boy stood up with a beam that appeared permanently etched onto his face. "It's good to see you finally up and walking, mate. How are you feeling?"

Liam tentatively looked towards Harry for guidance. Out of the four of them, Harry was definitely the one that Liam was scared of the least.

"Louis, don't scare the poor boy away!" Harry said mockingly in a scolding tone.

Louis. That was the boy who hit Liam on the head. Liam nervously raised his hand in a small wave and attempted a smile. He figured it probably wasn't a good idea to be on the bad side of someone who was readily willing to knock someone unconscious.

Louis followed Harry and Liam when they continued to walk into the kitchen area. Liam stood there awkwardly as he watched Louis push himself up onto the bench to watch Harry cook. He didn't really know what he was supposed to be doing. After a while Harry seemed to sense that Liam was feeling uncomfortable and uncertain, and gestured for him to help with the cooking.

"Hey Liam. How about you just cut up these carrots into thin slices for me. Normally I'd ask Louis to do it, but he doesn't appear to be in a very helpful mood today, and anyway, he has a habit of messing up even the easiest things when it comes to cooking."

Liam allowed himself to chuckle a little bit when he saw Louis disgruntled face.

"Excuse me, Harold, but you seemed to have no issue with my cooking skills when I was playing around with the chocolate sauce last night!"

Liam laughed louder at this, grinning at Harry's red face and missing Zayn staring into the kitchen suspiciously to watch Liam's face.

Liam hastily grabbed a knife off the counter top and started to steadily cut the carrots. After about half an hour of helping Harry in the kitchen, five delicious looking chicken and vegetable pies were sitting on the wooden table. Harry smiled happily at his culinary masterpiece as he wiped his hands on his apron. He called everyone inside from the living room, and they all grabbed a seat around the table. Harry sat next to Louis, and casually attempted to drag his chair closer to Louis' without anyone noticing. Zayn sat haughtily at the head of the table, and started wolfing down his pie, which left one more chair next to Liam for Niall to sit in. When Niall sat down, Liam drew into himself again, suddenly remembering where he was and the situation he was in. While everyone else gobbled down their pie, Liam just picked at it gently with his fork. It took a while for someone to notice that Liam wasn't eating.

"Liam, what's wrong? Don't you like the pie either?" That was Harry. Liam looked up at him and shrugged.

"No, I do, it's just I'm not feeling hungry at the moment."

"Bullshit." Said a harsh voice.

Liam started. "I'm sorry?"

"Bullshit." Zayn said again. "You haven't eaten in nearly two days. You can't tell me that you aren't hungry"

Liam shrugged again. "I'm not."

"Liam." It was a shout this time, as Zayn slammed his hands down on the table top and pushed his chair back with a screech. He stared into Liam's eyes fiercely, the intimidating gold of his eyes staring deep into Liam's soul. "It's my responsibility to ensure you are strong and healthy. Now eat."

Liam was a little shaken at this point, but he remained steadfast. "No."

Zayn looked ready to scream again, but then a new voice entered the argument.

"Zayn." Niall kicked his chair backwards as well, and stood so he was standing up in a similar position to Zayn's, his hands on the top of the table. He stared Zayn down, an invisible argument being carried out in their eyes. Blue eyes stared into gold, and at one point Liam swore he heard Zayn growl, but then Zayn stormed out of the room. Niall soon followed him. Harry and Louis shared a look before staring dejectedly at their now empty plates, before they eventually left to go and clean up the kitchen.

Liam ate the pie out of guilt.


	6. What big eyes you have

Needless to say, Liam felt more awkward around everyone after that incident. He still wasn't talking to Niall, _the betrayer, Liam thought._ Zayn wasn't making any effort to talk to him, which was probably good because Liam would probably be **awkward as heck** around the beautiful man, and he was still fairly embarrassed about the chicken pie episode. Louis appeared too busy to talk to Liam most of the time, usually doing, um, things, with Harry. When Harry wasn't around Louis, he would try to talk to Liam, but mostly Liam just sat on the chair near the window. Sometimes, the house would get fairly quiet, as if people had left, but Liam never saw anyone exit the house.

Once, when the cabin was quiet, Liam attempted to escape. He had been in the cabin for at least a week at this point, and was sure that his family were worried. He had entered the kitchen to find it empty, which confirmed his suspicions about the boys leaving, as Harry was nearly always in the kitchen. Liam had grabbed a knife from the draw of the kitchen, but had barely made it ten feet out the door before he was scared back inside by a black furred wolf. The wolf had made no attempt to harm Liam, but that didn't stop him from quickly retracing his steps and locking himself in his bedroom for the rest of the day. Even after the harrowing ordeal, Liam couldn't help but think about how the wolf's eyes looked like Zayn's.

Naturally, Liam didn't risk escaping the house again.

~*&*~

Out of the four boys who had kidnapped Liam, Harry was the only one Liam could feel remotely comfortable around. Other than the slightly creepy way he had acted when Liam found him face down in the woods, Harry had done nothing negative around Liam at all. So when Harry asked him to come back out of his bedroom, he complied.

"I figured that I might as well give you a tour around the house seeing as you'll be here for a while. Also I'm guessing that you're feeling a bit cramped after spending so long in your room. I mean first you were locked in your own bedroom for a week, and now you've been stuck in here! It must suck, hey!" Harry laughed a little, but stopped when he saw Liam's face.

"What do you mean; I'll be here for a while. Why am I even here! You haven't even told me that! And how did you know that I was kept in my bedroom! Have you been watching me?"

Harry sighed. "We haven't been stalking you, Liam. We've just been... keeping an eye on you."

"That's literally the same thing! And you didn't even answer my question!" Liam could feel frustrated tears springing to his eyes. He was tired of being left in the dark, of being treated like a child. He had been stolen away from his life, by a bunch of boys who were his own age. He honestly found that creepier than he would if it was a bunch of old men who kidnapped him.

Harry sighed and gave Liam a sad look. "I'll talk to the other boys and see what we can do."

With that, Harry walked off, leaving Liam to stand alone in the empty hallway.

~*&*~

Liam walked out of the small en-suite to spot Niall sitting on his bed, holding the little teddy bear that also called the room home. Niall looked up when he heard Liam's footsteps and placed the teddy on the bed next to him. Liam's friend looked different to what he was used too. He looked like he hadn't smiled in a while. The bags under his eyes were incredibly dark. Liam couldn't bring himself to continue to hate his closest friend. Even after everything, Niall still managed a weak smile towards Liam.

"Liam. Will you come with me please?"

Okay. Just because Liam was now feeling more guilty than pissed doesn't mean that he was willing to completely hand over his trust to Niall again.

"Why." Liam said, maybe a little more harshly than intended.

Niall visibly flinched. "Liam, please. I know you aren't happy with me at the moment, but you said you wanted to know what's going on. Harry reckons it's time for you to find out."

Liam quickly weighed the options. He could go and finally find out what's happening, or he could continue to live in what could possibly be blissful ignorance. In the end, he decided to follow Niall.

He followed Niall outside to house to a small clearing in the woods. The other three boys were already there. Harry was sitting on a mossy log, with Louis planted on his lap. Zayn was standing up, leaning moodily on a tree. He didn't appear to be too impressed with the situation at hand.

Liam and Niall sat down on another log together. Zayn didn't appear very happy with that, and glared at Niall for a second too long before he looked away again.

"So..." Harry started. He looked around the circle of people, and then leant his head on Louis shoulder. "So," he said again.

"How are we going to start this?"

To Liam's surprise, it was Zayn who spoke next.

"Liam," he said. "Have you ever heard of the lycanthrope?"

Liam nodded. Everyone in his village had heard the stories of the lycanthrope, or the 'wolf men'. As children they were often taught ways to ward off the supposedly evil creatures. Liam was too old to believe in those stories anymore, but that didn't stop his mum from frequently reminding him about the stories.

"You do?" Liam nodded again. "Good. Tell me, Liam, what do you know about them?"

The way Zayn said his name sent chills down his back.

"Um," Liam wasn't exactly sure how to start. He looked around at the other boys; Louis was giving him an enthusiastic nod, Niall looked pale, Harry looked worried.

"Uh, well. They, um, they aren't supposed to age as fast as, like, normal people? Ah, there are two different types. The, the Garou, which are born the way they are, and the Weres are bitten. Their personality differs depending on when they are born in relation to the moon. Um, and the only way to kill them is, uh, with silver." Liam's voice nervously faded out, and he looked back up at Zayn. Zayn looked quietly impressed.

"Very good, Liam. Now tell me. Do you believe in the lycanthrope?"

Liam almost laughed, but stopped when he saw that Zayn was dead serious.

"Uh, no. No, I can't say I do."

"Right." Zayn started to creep closer towards Liam, until he was standing directly in front of him, looking down hauntingly. Liam swallowed, suddenly noticing how close Zayn was. He was so caught up in Zayn that he didn't even notice the other three boys leave the clearing and head back to the house.

"Liam. We are the lycanthrope."

Liam could feel his face growing pale. He thought back to past events. The wolves who had made a sudden reappearance. The silver knife that Niall had thrown into the river. His mother saying Liam had been looked upon. The wolf hunt when he was four. It made sense.

"No. No, I, I don't believe you."

Zayn stepped backwards, out of Liam's personal space.

"Yes, Liam. I'm telling the truth."

Liam staggered to his feet. He walked backwards, nearly falling over the log he had been sitting on. Liam could feel nausea building in his stomach.

Zayn's dark clothes only reinforced the mysterious aura he was giving. "Liam. It's the truth."

Even though he had barely seen Zayn these past few days, Liam could see the warm honesty in his eyes. That helped give him a small boost of confidence. Liam stepped closer.

"Prove it." Liam whispered. His breath was condensing in the cool air.

Zayn shed his leather jacket and placed it on the ground. He looked up to the sky, and inhaled deeply. Liam watched him mutter something quietly to himself, ( _a prayer?_ ) and slowly kneel to the ground. Suddenly the sound of breaking bones filled the air. Clothes were being torn to shreds, and an inhumane howling flooded Liam's ears. After what seemed like forever, a black wolf stood where Zayn had just been; identical to the wolf Liam had seen when he tried to escape just days earlier. The wolf's gold eyes slowly opened, searching for Liam, and a low, pitiful growl filled the air.

 

Liam was unconscious before he even hit the ground.


	7. The kind of eyes that drive wolves mad

To say it was a shock when Liam woke up in his bedroom to find it filled with boys was an understatement. Well, it wasn’t completely filled with boys, but Niall, Harry and Louis were inside and sitting on chairs. Liam tried to ignore the pang of disappointment he felt when he noticed Zayn wasn’t there.  
  
“Liam.” Harry smiled warmly when he noticed Liam was awake. “How are you feeling? You took quite the bump to the head last night!”  
  
Last night. What was last night- oh.  
  
Oh.  
  
OH  
  
Liam sat up in a hurry, nearly hitting his head against the bed head.  
  
“You- you.” Liam was starting to hyperventilate, struggling to breathe. Last night was coming back to him in a rush. Liam could feel the colour running as it faded from his face. He was in danger here.  
  
“You’re – you all…” He couldn’t finish his sentence.  
  
Harry was looking concerned, his eyebrows knitting together like a pair of skinny caterpillars.  
  
“Liam…” Harry made to move towards Liam, but Liam shrunk even further into his bed.  
  
“Go away!” Liam said, his voice becoming high and shrill.  
  
Next Niall tried to calm Liam down. He walked towards him, distress written all over his face. He became ever more worried when Liam’s heart rate began to pick up, as if Niall could hear it. He grabbed Liam’s hand and held it in both of his own.  
“Liam, I know you had a rough night, but you need to hear us out. We need to tell you what’s going on!”  
  
When he noticed Liam was still shaking, Niall turned to the other boys and gave them an exasperated look.  
  
Louis was the next to speak up. “Liam, we know that Zayn has quite an, uh, unorthodox, way of explaining things, but you need to hear us out. We aren’t trying to scare you.”  
  
Liam was still very pale, but he had calmed down significantly. He just had to check something.  
  
“Zayn-, Zayn’s a werewolf?”  
  
Harry answered. “No.”  
  
He elaborated when he saw Liam’s puzzled expression. “We are werewolves. All of us.”  
  
“Even…” Liam almost couldn’t look Niall in the eye. “Even you?”  
  
Niall had the decency to look ashamed. “Yeah. Sorry mate, I wanted to tell you, but I wasn’t allowed.”  
  
Louis was quick to sense the awkward atmosphere. “So, Liam, you made it pretty clear that you know a fair bit about our type already. Is there anything in particular that you want to know about us?”  
  
Liam was feeling light headed again, but he struggled on. He dampened his lips and bit them nervously. “Just, anything.”  
  
The boys all glanced at each other.  
  
“Alright.” Said Harry. “Let’s start with the basic facts, shall we?”  
  
“I’m going to tell you this straight out, Liam. We don’t age like you do. We age really slowly.”  
  
“So, how old are you really then?”  
  
This made Niall laugh. “Bloody old, Liam, bloody old. I’d tell you, but you’d be freaked out.”  
  
Liam allowed himself to smile. “Well, that would explain your fashion sense, at least. That stupid paddy hat you’re always wearing is really, really old.”  
  
Niall’s cheeks turned red as he chuckled. “Oi, mate. That hat is a work of art. At least my family doesn’t call me ‘red’ because of a stupid cloak!”  
  
Liam gripped tightly onto his cloak and laughed quietly over Louis cry of, “Hey! Let’s get back to business!”  
  
“So, yesterday you mentioned that you know that our personalities tend to differ based on when we are born, correct?” said Harry.  
  
Liam nodded in Harry’s general direction. He was still grinning at Niall. It felt like ages since he had laughed with his friend like this.  
  
“Niall was born under the new moon. So was Louis. This means that they generally are pretty playful, mischievous and carefree. I was born under the Half moon, which means, um, aha.” Harry started to blush. Louis took this as a chance to put his hand on Harry’s shoulder and gently give his boyfriend a head-butt.  
  
“That means that Harry is honourable, thoughtful, and wise.” Louis said with a gentle smile.  
  
Liam smiled shyly at the display of love in front of him. He hoped he could feel that one day. “What about Zayn, then. When was he born?”  
  
Harry sighed. “Zayn. Zayn’s a tricky one. He was born on the, well, the edge I suppose, of two different phases of the moon. He was born between the waxing moon and the full moon. That means that he is artistic, passionate, talented-“  
  
Louis interrupted Harry with his own adjectives, “- Creative, powerful- “  
  
“- Zealous, and, well, occasionally ill tempered,” finished Niall.  
  
“He’s the moon dancer,” Harry breathed with a sense of awe.  
  
Liam was enraptured. It appeared that there was a lot more to the lycanthrope than he had ever been taught.  
  
“There is, of course, all the mumbo jumbo that you are probably already aware of, such as us turning into wolves at the full moon, or whenever we feel threatened, but since Zayn is the moon dancer, he can change whenever he wants.” Niall was clearly very excited about this topic area.  
  
“But there’s still more than that! Each wolf, each one of us, has been gifted by the moon, with a mate. Every single wolf has a special someone that they are supposed to be with for all of their lives. It’s always someone who’s related to a werewolf. A wolf’s mate has to be accepted when it is very young. This is usually done by the wolf breathing on its mate when said mate is still just a babe. It’s called ‘being looked upon’.”

That term struck a nerve with Liam, but he couldn’t quite remember where he had heard it from.  
  
“We’re all hunting for our mates. Louis has already found his-“ at this Louis grinned at Harry and smothered his face in light kisses.  
  
“- so now we are looking for Zayn’s. That’s where you come in, Liam.”  
  
Liam tore his gaze away from Louis and Harry and stared at Niall.  
  
“I’m sorry, what?”  
  
“That’s where you come in!”  
  
Liam just blinked at Niall in shock.  
  
“Niall, you probably could’ve let him know a little gentler, you know,” scolded Harry.  
  
“What do you mean, that’s where I come in? What do I have to do with this mate thing? Am I supposed to help Zayn find his? Or-“Liam trailed off nervously. There was another option that he wasn’t sure he really wanted to think about yet.  
  
“No, Liam. You are his mate. Don’t you remember anything? Anything at all about being looked upon?”  
  
people screaming. He remembers people picking him up and running back to the house. He remembers his dad creating a hunting party, much like the one earlier, and scouring the wood for the wolf. He does remember. 

The thing is, Liam did. He remembered being four years old, sleeping in his chair outside with most of the other people from his village. He remembers them all sitting around a warm fire. He remembers a big black wolf standing over him, and he remembers

He can understand now what his mother meant when he said that his sisters hadn’t been looked upon.  
  
“You do remember,” Louis said softly. “I can see it in your eyes.”  
  
“But wait, I can’t be Zayn’s mate. You said I had to be a werewolf! I’m not.”  
  
“No. We said that you had to be related to a werewolf. Did you ever meet your grandad, Liam?”  
  
“No. He was attacked by a wild animal before I was born.”  
  
The boys laughed at this piece of information. “Well, that’s a nice little story that your parents have told you, isn’t it. Are you seriously telling me that you never wondered why your grandma lived in the middle of the woods? Why she made you that red cloak?”  
  
“I just assumed that she lived there because she wanted to. And sometimes she gets bored, so maybe that’s why she made me the cloak?” Liam realised how silly that sounded after he had finished speaking.  
  
“She lives in the woods so that she can be reminded of your grandfather. She made you the cloak so that we could find you and keep an eye on you. She infused it with pine and lavender, which helped us search for you. Did you honestly not notice that Niall was coincidently adopted by the Mayor of your town a few months after you were given the cloak? We’ve been looking out for you for years now.” All this talk was making Liam feel just a little stupid.  
  
“So, what really happened to my grandad then?”  
  
Niall’s face turned grave, and Louis and Harry’s faces both darkened. “Your father.”  
  
“What? What did my dad do?”  
  
“Your dad, to say it simply, doesn’t like us. When he found out about your grandad, he, um.” Harry was hesitating. Louis took over.  
  
“He shot him. He shot him with a silver bullet. He taught your mother to fear the very people who brought her up. Your mother carry’s the werewolf gene, but she isn’t actually a werewolf herself. She past this gene on to you, which is how you are Zayn’s mate.”  
  
Liam was reeling by this onslaught of information. His grandparents were werewolves. His own father had killed his grandad. He was supposed to stay with a werewolf for the rest of his life.  
  
“Do you understand now, Liam? Do you understand why we had to kidnap you? If you stayed with your family for any longer, your dad would probably have killed you. He has been aware of you and what you are ever since Zayn found you for the first time.”  
  
Liam honestly felt like he was about to cry.  
  
Niall looked prepared to continue on with another verbal assault of information, but at that moment Zayn decided to barrel through the door. He smashed the door open, sending splinters everywhere, concern written all over his face. He sent a quick worried glance at Liam which would have been missed if Liam hadn’t been blatantly staring at his face. Then he turned back to the other boys, gasping.

“They’re here. They’re here and they’re ready to fight us.”


End file.
